The Beauty and the Bandit
by xXSoldierXx
Summary: Sasuke is a bandit who steals to survive. Part of a larger conspiracy, he and his faction rebel against the majority. Sakura was only a victim. He only stole her coin purse, but somehow it became a raid. The hatred became love.
1. Introduction of a Thief

**☺ The Beauty and the Bandit** ☺

**by SasukeLover**

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**Summary**

Sasuke is a bandit who steals to survive. Part of a larger conspiracy, he and his faction rebel against the majority. Sakura was only a victim - he only stole her coin purse - but somehow it became a raid. The hatred became love.

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**Chapter 1**

**Introduction of a Thief**

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A young male stood in the street, his dark hair shading his eyes. He was dressed in a ragged cloak, toning his companions that followed close behind him. He peered through his bangs, gaze focused on the young girl opposite the square. _Who is she?_ He wondered, seeming to care more than he would've liked to.

The girl stood confidently, her red dress to her knees. The young male was curious about the slits, eyes tracing the shape of her legs and slender arms. The girl's hair blew in the wind, a strange candescent shade of roseate. She picked a bundle of roses from the small basket in the flower shop and walked them over to a young blond woman.

Sasuke seemed too attentively focused on the young fascinating object. Nobody knew him as one to 'care'. If anybody asked, he was _watching for her coin purse_, and there it was. She reached to her belt, a thin rope tied around her waist, where a small sack dangled from her hip. She loosened the draw strings and opened the sack, dumping several golden coins into her hand. She picked at them, plucking up just what she needed, and handed them to the blond woman.

"_That was it_," Sasuke murmured, pulling the ragged hood loosely over his head. He moved through the crowd, the instincts of a thief controlling his every move. In practiced motions, his faction fanned out behind him, lingering for no more than five seconds before they headed off in different directions.

Sasuke shot a glance back at the hooded blond, a young male by the name of Uzumaki. He peered back at the raven-haired male, a smirk apparent on his calm face. _Do it,_ he willed with his eyes. _Do it._

Sasuke nodded subtly, something the people around him wouldn't have noticed. The hoods and rags would've been conspicuous, but beggars often traveled through the area. Konoha was a utopia for trade—a monopoly.

He neared the girl—his next defenseless victim. He disregarded any previous emotions he may have felt for her—more predominantly of what would have been lust and a yearning to be touched.

The people around Sasuke were all fools. They chattered dumbly and flashed their glossy coins. They didn't care much for defense, which he could effortlessly tell. Either that or they were just oblivious to the dangers that surrounded them. He had no trouble at all breaking into the shops he had earlier passed. A punt to the door, or even just a twist of the doorknob was enough to get him inside. He had oodles of fun with raids. It was just as equally effortless when he swiped an antique from a stall. No one had ever noticed him sweep it into the dark folds of his cloak. The things he stole would never find they're owners again. In this era, valuables ruled their wielders. He knew that to be the mechanic of today's world.

He lowered his head, hood falling over his face, but his eyes still trained on the girl's coin purse which once again hung from her hip. He caressed his wrist with his fingers, smoothing the tips gently over the strap on his palm. A conspicuous blade shot from the confines of his right sleeve—a stiletto strapped to his hand.

He felt instinct taking over once more as he brushed past the girl, his shoulder bumping her own. He turned back apologetically, raising his left hand for her to acknowledge that it had been an 'accident'. She glanced at his raised hand, a forgiving smile and probably pity in her eyes. Her mistake. While her stare was locked on Sasuke's hand, he discreetly slashed the blade through the thin drawstrings of the purse. It sank with gravity as Naruto approached. He stepped close to the roseate-haired girl, heading in the opposite direction as Sasuke. The sack fell into his boot.

Sasuke nodded at the girl, casualty in his eyes. He turned and stalked off. He would circle the block before returning.

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**Thank you for reading. Comment Please.**


	2. Heart of Ice, Coins of Gold

☺ **The Beauty and the Bandit** ☺

**by SasukeLover

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**Summary**

Sasuke is a bandit who steals to survive. Part of a larger conspiracy, he and his faction rebel against the majority. Sakura was only a victim - he only stole her coin purse - but somehow it became a raid. The hatred became love.

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**Chapter 2**

**Heart of Ice, Coins of Gold

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Sasuke rounded the corner and approached the forest where his companions would wait. He followed a dusty path half way in and made a turn for his own, stepping through the brush and hacking at it with a blade. "Give it to me," he demanded, approaching the many cloaked figures, and the blond tossed the pouch to him. He hadn't expected them all to be there.

"Have a look see," the blond coaxed. "She's got quite the income, whatever it is she does."

Sasuke glanced skeptically at his blond companion. The drawstrings were unfurling where he had sliced them. Slipping a finger into the pouch, he pulled it open, peering tentatively into the dark confines. He plopped gracefully onto the ground, dumping the contents onto the dirt. There were several gold coins and a few silver and copper. "She likes to carry the big guns," Sasuke remarked, shuffling the pile with his hands. He found a few gems; a sapphire, emerald, and a ruby. There was also a diamond ring. He reached down and plucked up a signet ring, holding it between his thumb and his index finger, as he examined the circle that must have been her clan's crest.

"Good, isn't it?" the blond boy asked.

"Naruto…" Sasuke began. "Just think; if this is her coin pouch, what must her home be?"

"A big box with a whole lot of credit," said a male with dark pineapple-hair.

"Or a treasure chest," said the young girl beside him. She was blond with light blue eyes. She resembled the older blond woman from the flower shop—this girl was her daughter.

"Ino's right," Sasuke said. He scooped up the valuables and dropped them back into the bag. "This is enough to pay for a whole month's provisions. More if we sell the gems." He stood and glanced at the young males and females—all dressed in ragged cloaks with large hoods. "I've decided."

Ino's eyes met his, curiosity as well as eagerness shimmering deep within them. "What have you decided?"

"I've decided on a raid."

Naruto shot a surprised look at the raven-haired male. "A _raid_?"

"You heard me, Uzumaki." Sasuke pocketed the coin purse and turned his back to the faction. "They don't appreciate us. They pushed us away because we did things _right_. Their methods were bogus. Useless. They didn't work. When they did we got nothing. They were tired of paying bonds—well whose fault was it that we got caught?" He clenched his fists. "Look at us now!" he peered over his shoulder. "We're not wealthy but we've got the means! When we stole under them we had _nothing_. None of us has been caught yet! A faction we are, and thieves as well, but dogs of their damned conglomerate? No!"

Shikamaru nodded. "He's right. We do have the means, and we all know that no matter how bad things are for us now, they could've been worse with _them_."

Naruto deadpanned for a moment, his face intuitive and straight in concentration. You could see the fire in his eyes—the passion he had for what he did: keeping himself alive. "You're cold, Uchiha." Naruto frowned, remembering the night several years ago when his family had fallen victim to a raid—a raid by the very conglomerate they presently rebelled. "You have a heart of ice…but you're right. This will be good for us. A raid it is."

He leapt to his feet and cheered. "A RAID!"

"A RAID!" the faction echoed.

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**Thank you for reading. Comment please.**


	3. A Raid!

☺ **The Beauty and the Bandit** ☺

**by SasukeLover

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**Summary**

Sasuke is a bandit who steals to survive. Part of a larger conspiracy, he and his faction rebel against the majority. Sakura was only a victim - he only stole her coin purse - but somehow it became a raid. The hatred became love.

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**Chapter 3**

**A Raid!

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Sasuke listened intently, ears open to his surroundings.

"It's time," he heard Kiba mumble from behind him. Akamaru yipped in agreement, leaping and bounding up to Sasuke with a blackjack in his jaws.

Sasuke chortled. "Nah, boy. No weapons for this one. We don't need to hurt anybody." Akamaru whimpered but ran back to Kiba who lay hidden in the bushes. "Alright," Sasuke spoke up. "This is it." He stepped from the forest, making pace. He knew where he was going. After they had decided on a raid, Kiba sent Akamaru off with the scent of the coin purse in mind. Akamaru had traced the young girl's scent to a house in the outskirts of Konoha. It was a lucky break for the rest of them. They wouldn't have to go far and they wouldn't easily be caught.

Sasuke pulled the hood over his head and led the group conspicuously through the village, keeping to the forest edge and replaying the plan in his mind. "Does everyone know their job?"

He turned to the faction. Each companion nodded an affirmative. "Then let's go!" Ino and Shikamaru broke off to the west, Kiba and Hinata to the east. Neji and Tenten took the northwestern passage, followed by Chouji and Shino who went northeast. The remaining members of the faction broke off in pairs and went their own ways, and Sasuke and Naruto headed north.

"How should we do this?" Sasuke asked Naruto as they ran through the village.

"We'll just break in," he replied. "Threaten her maybe, and take her stuff."

"Threaten?" Sasuke questioned. "Why are we threatening her? What could we accomplish with that?"

Naruto snorted. "What couldn't we accomplish with that?" He shook his head as they approached the house, which was a lot smaller then they had expected for someone with her money. "Trust me Uchiha. I've got a plan. Just leave it to me. we won't hurt her or anything. Just intimidate her."

Sasuke really didn't like the sound of that. He trusted his companion with his life, but Naruto would never understand why he didn't want to harm her. Sasuke knew that he couldn't tell him anyhow. His interest was a sign of weakness. It wasn't like he loved her though…he just found her _physically attractive_. "Whatever," Sasuke murmured. "Just promise you won't over do it."

Naruto nodded and pressed his ear to the door. He could hear the buzz of a television inside. "_She's home,_" he mouthed. He led Sasuke around the side to a back door. He peered through the glass and into what Sasuke assumed to be the kitchen. Walking around the house had made Sasuke realize that it was in fact large. He could see a sofa and the back of a pink-haired head through the corridor and he knew that this was it.

Naruto grinned and licked his lips. "This is it, pal." He put his hand on the knob. "You better be ready for this, 'cos it ain't gonna be easy if she fights back."

Sasuke glared. "Whatever." He knew Naruto wouldn't hurt her.

Naruto turned the knob, and as he had expected, it made a full revolution and the door clicked silently open. He pushed it gently and opened his mouth to shout when a small head popped up from the couch. It was a child, red hair and pink cheeks. Her tiny eyes grew round and she screamed for her life. "SAKURA!!!"

Sakura turned to the kitchen and froze in place. Without thinking she shot up from the couch, grabbed Moegi, and back as far away from the kitchen as she could.

Naruto remained calm but at the sight of the frightened girl, he snapped. "GET DOWN!" he shouted, reaching into his cloak for a weapon the faction rarely used—it was a pistol.

"Naruto, what the hell?" shouted Sasuke, reaching for the weapon, but Naruto brushed him off.

Sakura's eyes met Naruto's for a moment—a brave gesture—but she hesitated to obey him.

"I SAID _GET DOWN_!" Naruto repeated, aiming the gun at Sakura's forehead. He lined up his sights and glared down the barrel. Sakura whimpered and sunk to the ground, Moegi in her arms.

"What do you want?" she asked, clutching Moegi closer. "I'll give it to you. Just don't hurt anybody!" There was fierce determination burning in her eyes. Sasuke gazed upon her face, realizing he might have to take it all in now.

"What's going on down here?" shouted a little boy as he marched down the stairs. His hair was dark and a scarf dangled from his neck. Another boy followed him, glasses on and his nose perpetually running.

"Konohamaru, Udon, freeze!" Sakura shouted. The two did, locked in place by both the command and the fear of the pistol and the angry man. Everyone seemed to have disregarded Sasuke.

"Uchiha, go!" snarled Naruto, kicking a bag towards him. Sasuke swiped it up, moving casually through the house and sweeping valuables into it. The bag was bulging and heavy by the time he returned to the living room where Naruto had relocated. The three children sat huddled up to Sakura on the couch. The pink-haired girl wrapped her arms around them protectively.

"Are you done yet, you _nasty highwaymen_?" She glowered at Naruto who had his pistol still trained on her forehead. Only once did she shoot a curious glance at Sasuke.

Naruto smirked. "Not yet." He lowered the pistol. "Don't you move or my buddy here's gonna club you." He placed the pistol back in his cloak and moved outside. Sasuke stood there silently, gaze locked on Sakura's profile.

"You stole my signet," she said. Sasuke blinked and dug into his pocket. He tossed the tiny ring at her.

"I don't need a signet with your crest on it. Take it back." He smirked at Sakura's shocked expression.

"You steal from me then give something back?" For once she met his direct gaze.

"It doesn't hold much value to me."

"One minute, Uchiha," Naruto shouted. He came in through the back door but Sasuke didn't bother to look. He kept his gaze locked with Sakura's. Only when he heard the _chuzzl_e, _chuzzle_ of gasoline being poured from a gallon did he feel any distress.

"Uzumaki," he asked, "What are you doing?"

"Come on, Uchiha!" Naruto beckoned after soaking the couch with gasoline. "We've got the goods, let's go."

"But you said you wouldn't hurt them!" Sasuke realized too late that he had said something he shouldn't have.

The blond turned back to him, infuriated. "Why the _hell_ do you care, Uchiha?!" Sasuke thought that he could trust Naruto. He knew he could. Uzumaki was being extremely out of character, but Sasuke knew exactly why. Naruto struck a match. He had to act quickly.

"Naruto!" he called pleadingly. "I know why you're doing this! Are you really going to give _them_ the personal satisfaction of your suffering? Your parents died this way, didn't they?" Naruto's eyes went wide with shock.

"I…" He shook his head. "What the hell am I doing?" he shouted at himself. "It wasn't supposed to happen like this! It's this fucking raid, Uchiha! I told you it was a bad idea!" He shook the match, intending to put the flame out, but the fire caught gasoline and the air combusted in a cloud of hellfire.

"Oh my God," Sakura gasped, pulling Moegi and the boys away from the fire. They stumbled off of the couch and away from its burning fabric.

"Damn it," Naruto cursed. "Come on, Uchiha. Get the loot. We're out of here!" The blond took off running, bolting out the door as fast as he could.

Sasuke froze, contemplating his next move. He reached for the bag of stolen goods and began to run. He felt his body jerk back. The fire had spread rapidly and the whole house was up in flames. He turned back to find Sakura, teary eyed and pleading, grasping his cloak with clenched white knuckles. "Please! Don't leave them! Take them out of here! Save the children!"

Sasuke stared at the emerald-eyed girl. She was more beautiful than he had imagined—even sooty and crying. His eyes darted around, inspecting the burning house. He knew someone would have called a figure of authority by now. He had to get away fast. He looked heavenward—a strange gesture coming from the Uchiha. "Alright." He knelt and scooped up the children.

"God bless," She lowered herself onto the ground. She was suffering from smoke inhalation. "Thank you," she wheezed. "Tell them that I love them…"

"You tell them yourself," Sasuke murmured. "I'm taking you, too."

Sakura stared at him with glossy eyes. Sasuke sprinted out of the house, lowering the children onto the grass. He darted back inside and swept up the girl, not hesitating to sweep up the loot as well.

He juggled the four of them in his arms. _What am I doing?_ he thought.

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**Thank you for reading. Comment please.**


	4. I Didn't Mean To! My Past Made Me!

☺ **The Beauty and the Bandit****☺**

**by Sasuke Lover

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**Summary**

Sasuke is a bandit who steals to survive. Part of a larger conspiracy, he and his faction rebel against the majority. Sakura was only a victim - he only stole her coin purse - but somehow it became a raid. The hatred became love.

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**Chapter 4**

**I Didn't Mean To! My Past made me!

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Sasuke huffed angrily as he surveyed the forest. None of the faction had yet arrived. Sakura laid unconscious in his arms, the children now capable of standing and trudging silently along.

"Fine, I guess we'll just have to stay in the cave. Follow," he instructed the children, and they obeyed. The four of them trudged through the forest, the mud caking on their shoes. "Don't stray away."

About fifteen minutes passed and the awkwardness of their silent air dissipated as they reached the tiny mouth of a large cave. "Go inside," Sasuke said, and the three children crawled in. Sasuke slid sakura through, crawling in after her.

It was naturally dim inside but the Uchiha felt his way knowingly to a gas lamp and lit it, the cave exploding with luminosity as he fired up the rest of them. He tossed some dry kindling to form a pile in the center of the room, flicking a lit match on top.

The children took available provisions and put them to use, assembling a small bed of down and fleece for their pink-haired baby-sitter. "She'll be alright," Konohamaru confirmed, squeezing Moegi's shoulder as she wept despondently.

"Stay," Sasuke commanded, moving towards the mouth of the cave.

"Where are you going?" Konohamaru demanded. "You can't leave her here alone!"

The dark-haired teen barked an amused laugh. "You're here to 'protect' her, aren't you? Just hang about. I'll be back." Konohamaru rushed up to Sasuke and latched on to his leg. "I said stay; if you don't want to then wait outside; one or the other but let me go."

He exited the cave, the children following him out. "We'll wait out here," confirmed Udon, wiping his nose and guarding the cave entrance. Konohamaru and Moegi flanked him, nodding with agreement.

"Whatever," Sasuke mumbled, heading off into the woods.

Several minutes later, Naruto appeared, gazing at the cave. _That's got to be it,_ he thought, eyeing the brood outside. The one with the crazy hair and the scarf trotted off, yelling about a cascade and berries. The boy with the perpetually running nose ran off after him. Only the small lass remained, sniffling and fidgeting. She would be easy to get past.

Naruto brought his hands together in a seal and he disappeared, finding himself once again in the cave just in time to see Sakura stir to life. She stared at him, clearly unfazed. "What?" she asked expectantly when Naruto said nothing.

"I…" Naruto hesitated. "I wanted to apologize…"

Sakura dropped her jaw and stared at Naruto. "You caught my house on fire, threatened to kill me _AND_ them!" She gestured outside of the cave at the kids. "And all you can do is say that you're sorry?"

"Look!" Naruto defended himself. "It's not my fault that I snapped like that! I couldn't control it. I swear it was my past, okay?"

Sakura smirked at Naruto's lame excuse. "Yeah, sure."

The blond growled in frustration. "Look, I mean it! When I was younger, my family and I were raided by an organization of thieves. They killed my mom and dad, and I was orphaned."

A tint of pity glistened in Sakura's eyes. "You were orphaned?"

"Yeah," Naruto replied. "And then the organization spirited me away. They forced me to steal for them, and so I grew up a thief…a _highwayman_ as you like to put it."

Her cheeks glowed brightly until the shade matched her hair. "I-I'm sorry…" She twiddled her fingers. "I didn't know."

"Yeah…" A melancholy tone found itself in Naruto's accent. "Most people don't. Only the faction knows…"

"The faction?" Sakura sat up and crawled closer to Naruto, sitting beside him on the cave floor. "Who's the faction?"

"Well…" Naruto hesitated. Would he really tell this girl all about the faction? "Do you remember Sasuke; the boy with the darker hair?" Sakura nodded. "He's the leader of our rebellion. We've gone up against the larger organization. We still steal, but we hate their guts…and they hate ours."

Naruto looked caringly at Sakura. "Don't mistake his stick-up-the-you-know-where attitude for discourtesy. He's really a great guy…he just…he finds you physically attra—"

Naruto blinked with haste and beckoned for Sakura to be quiet. Sasuke slowly entered the cave and at that instant, Naruto crashed his lips onto Sakura's. He pushed her down to the ground and ran his hand through her hair, trailing one up her hip.

Sasuke stood by, perplexed and confounded. _What the hell is he doing to my—I mean…that sexy, sexy woman…_? Sasuke shook his head and pretended not to care that Naruto was making out with the idol of his —cough—affection—cough— lust. "Nice…" he commented, and left the cave to seethe elsewhere.

"W-what was that?" Sakura asked Naruto, cheeks pink. She sat up cautiously, a hand held out to protect herself from the rabid blond. She smoothed down her hair with a trembling hand.

Naruto shook his head. "Sorry; I had to do it. Sasuke had to see it…"

"What?" Sakura exclaimed.

"He…he won't admit it," Naruto spilled. "But I know him better than anyone and Sasuke has a thing for you. He claims that you're merely 'physically attractive' but I know what he really thinks. I have to protect him. Trust me, if he makes a move on you, the rest of the faction will take it as a sign of weakness. They'll attempt mutiny."

"Mutiny?" Sakura was beginning to catch on. She gazed into the fire and empathized. "I see…"

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**Sorry that things are slowing down a bit (they're not really) this was just a filler chapter.

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**Thank you for reading. Comment Please.**


	5. Perplexed and Persistent

☺ **The Beauty and the Bandit****☺**

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**Summary**

Sasuke is a bandit who steals to survive. Part of a larger conspiracy, he and his faction rebel against the majority. Sakura was only a victim - he only stole her coin purse - but somehow it became a raid. The hatred became love.

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**Chapter 5**

**Perplexed and Persistent**

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Sasuke trudged silently through the forest, hands buried in the depths of his cloak. "Okay," he muttered silently to himself. "Let's process this once more: Naruto was kissing Sakura…." He stood there for a moment before he deadpanned. "Yup, doesn't get any more obvious than that." 

A leaf brushed against his face as he walked by it, the rain and dew drops clinging to his cheek. "Or maybe it does…." He reached a hand up, wiping the fresh water away, and he stared at it, as if it gave him some new, sudden inspiration. "I could ask… No. I couldn't do that. That would be a sign of weakness. After all, why does Sakura matter so much, anyway? She's stupid and annoying."

The raven-haired teenager grasped onto a tree, hoisting himself up with an arm (**Note: ONE arm!) **and climbing to the top where he settled on a wiry tree branch. Peering out into the distance, he took a moment to think about the betrayal bestowed upon him. Now that Sasuke recalled, Naruto had betrayed him twice in one day.

Also, now that he was letting the thought of it get to him, he was starting to seethe, getting angrier by the minute. The worst part about it was that he felt he cared too much. It didn't make much of a difference to him because no one would know it. He would never express it out loud, but he would think it, all the while having an angry scowl on his face. He burned a hole into a distant mountain top with his defiant stare, the anger now eccentric.

"Akamaru…!" A brown-haired male ran through the forest, an arm up in greeting as he waved at his leader high above him. "Hey there, Uchiha, sorry I can't talk. I've got to catch Akamaru!" He rushed past, his feet kicking up the dirt around him.

"Whatever," Sasuke mumbled. "That Akamaru, always running off like—" He blinked. "Hey, wait…!" He shifted slightly in the tree, following Kiba with his eyes. "Akamaru never came through here!" Sasuke roared angrily and grasped a thick tree branch, snapping it with his fist. "Curse it! He's spying on me!"

With a nimble leap, Sasuke connected to the earth from the tall tree and broke off in a quick sprint. _How dare he?_

He followed Kiba's trail through the forest until he could no longer descry it in the mud and bracken. He could always sniff Kiba out, he thought, but that was a little peculiar even for a thief. "Okay, never mind that then…" He looked around and walked on until he could hear the smooth gurgle of the tarn.

He sighed with wasted effort. _Maybe I'll just go back_, he thought, but he heard something: a soft humming resonating through the mountains and the meadow.

It sang a sweet tune—a tune of joy but also of curiosity. This intrigued Sasuke and he continued forward, searching for the wielder of the soft, droning voice.

Just around the bend, the tarn came into view. The water sloshed against and ran around a large boulder in the hub of the pond. He could not see but sagacity told him the singing came from _behind_ the rock.

Making his way silently around the tarn, Sasuke crept over the moss covered ground. The strong scent of mountain dew was thick in the air and it was a soothing scent that made Sasuke's head spin with ecstasy.

Running into the tarn were a cascade and a rock ledge where vines and moss hung from the sandstone. There were bushes all around as well—berry bushes. As the base of the waterfall came into view, so did Sakura who bathed beneath it.

She stood chest-deep in the mountain water, humming loudly and washing her hair beneath the soft sheet of water.

"—till the greenwoods rang and he won the heart of a la—" She stopped singing as she ducked beneath the water, submerging herself and surfacing once more, hair soaked and dripping. "Ah dee doo, ah dee doo—"

Sasuke stepped closer, feet carefully and strategically placed. One misstep and he knew he would—"Erm…" Sasuke grimaced as his foot planted spastically on a twig. It cracked and Sakura turned instinctively to see why.

Her jaw dropped and she screamed. "PEEPING TOM!" She tossed a large stone and, surprisingly, it caught Sasuke on the head. Sakura ducked beneath the water and Sasuke bolted, blindly sprinting far, far away.

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The ice stung Sasuke's head. It still throbbed, the skin stretched tightly over the pulsing blood. "Ow, ow, ow," he complained quietly, alone in the forest. God forbid _anyone_ know that the obdurate Uchiha knew _pain_! The bonfire beside him was blazing wildly, the fire a blistering orange. 

_Two hours,_ he thought to himself, _since they left. Not a single on has yet to return. _His thieves seemed to be lacking sleep, or skill, or food, or something that they had been 'deprived of'. Sasuke scoffed at the thought. "They haven't been deprived of anything. They've just gotten _lazy_."

There was something of a nervous groan coming from the forest beside him. He didn't bother to lift his head—just his gaze—and it followed a shock of pink hair slowly through the foliage. "Sakura," he greeted her.

The pink stopped and she parted a wall of branches and tree leaves, stepping through and into the light of the fire. "Sasuke," she began. "I just wanted to say about earlier—"

"Hn," Sasuke interrupted. "I'm a despicable closet pervert, right?" He tried to make a joke of it, but it came out as an odium-infested hiss.

Wind whistled nervously around them. The girl frowned. "No, Sasuke. Actually, I was going to say…" she scowled and shook her head. "Never mind it." Her gaze shot nervously to the log where Sasuke sat, an unoccupied space seemingly left for her. "May I?"

"_Aa_," Sasuke grunted, dropping the ice and resting his elbows on his knees, folding his fingers under his chin. "Doesn't matter."

Sakura nodded and smiled softly. "I actually wanted to say that I was sorry…I _am_ sorry." She reached into her pocket and pulled out a small vial. Popping open the lid, she dipped her fingers inside and smeared it gently on Sasuke's head wound.

"H-hey, knock it off!" Sasuke growled angrily, trying to pull away, but Sakura grasped his arm, continuing to nurse the anxious teenager.

Still she continued, ignoring his cries of protest. "But that still doesn't change the fact that I _despise _you, Sasuke-kun," she said, and the irony of the declaration perplexed said Uchiha greatly. "I just would like to know more about you as a person, not a thief."

Lips twitching into a wry smirk, Sasuke felt his fists clench more tightly. "Take it or leave it. A person comes in a _package_. No separate sale."

"There must be a lot of pressure on you. Leader of a faction; doesn't that seem hard?" Sakura ignored him, but decided he was right. She closed the vial and put it away, pulling out a small patch of cloth and bandaging it onto his head. "I heard things about you," she continued. "Things you wouldn't want to tell me yourself…" She smoothed the bandage over with her hands. "And I heard about your faction. Mutiny is a risky thing, isn't it?"

Sakura leaned in closer to the young teenager. Could she steal a teasing kiss, provoking this new passion she had learned about? He blinked but remained stoic, turning slightly away. "You don't know them," he insisted, struggling to keep from turning back and taking advantage of the young girl. He was a thief, not a rapist. "No one knows them as I do. If they were to attempt mutiny, I would kill them all."

A tiny gasp escaped Sakura, though obviously hyperbolized and sarcastic. "_Kill_? But you claim to know them _so_ _well_. Could you really kill them without hesitation?" She spoke mockingly now, though unintentionally.

"Of course!" Sasuke stood up abruptly and glared at Sakura. "What do you want all of a sudden? Go find Uzumaki; I'm sure _he_ actually _wants_ to talk to you!"

"_Who_?" asked Sakura, "Who do you mean?"

Anger was roiling in Sasuke's mind and he clenched his fist. The forest around them was lush and green and you could hear the birds everywhere you went, which just added to the lucidity of the moment and continued to distract him from his antagonism. He raised his hand to his mouth and he whistled loudly, a soft tune that Sakura had never heard before.

Seconds later, Naruto crept slowly into the clearing, basking in the firelight. "You whistled?" he teased. Sasuke said nothing and left the clearing, Sakura and Naruto alone. "What was _that_ all about?" Naruto asked.

"I must have upset him. He must think that we're seeing each other," Sakura responded, suddenly feeling the vial against her leg. "I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that he doesn't like me like you think he does."

The blond spat off to the side and barked out a fit of laughter. "**You can _say_ it, but that won't make it _true_**! He _LIKES_ you. You sat here with him for a good five minutes, probably. That's good. I can't keep him around for more than three minutes unless we're on a mission. Sometimes not even _that _long!"

A mockingbird began to sing, its harmonious tunes rising and falling with the same grace as the stars and moon. "Is he really that difficult?" Sakura twiddled her fingers angrily. "I'd like to think I could actually…you know…join. But he won't even speak to me."

Naruto stared sternly at Sakura. "You mean you want to join the faction…is that _really_ what you mean?" The pink-haired girl nodded. How had Naruto influenced her? He knew that if Sasuke found out, he would be royally pissed. "That's a bad idea, Sakura. We're not respected anywhere we go. We're wanderers without homes or family. We'll always be that way. We're not _loved_ and we're not _respected _by anyone but ourselves. We only have each other. Joining the faction has got to be the stupidest thing you'll ever have considered." He then remembered Ino and her team, and Kiba as well as his. "Okay, so maybe _some_ of us still have family."

Pain was a tricky thing, Sakura decided, which made her realize how cruel she had been for teasing Sasuke, dangling his weakness before his eyes, like a carrot on a string. Naruto's rejection had hurt badly. Sakura wanted to join the faction more than anything at that moment. Was she love struck? Perhaps, but her home was gone. She had no family, anyway. Beside that, who was she love struck by? She knew more than _anything_ the burning hatred that she held for the Uchiha. She never liked him.

_You can say it, but that won't make it true._

She knew what he was; yet she still wished he would speak to her. She most definitely knew that she had no love interest in her new blond companion.

_You can say it, but that won't make it true._

The only things holding her back were the children and her dislike for the raven-haired Uchiha, but the children weren't even hers, and her odium for Sasuke could easily be over-written. She could take the three youths back to their parents and disappear forever. No one could ever tell her otherwise because it was ultimately her decision, she decided. She would be a thief and she would find her home with these people. With what she had left, she could turn their lives around. She had yet to meet them all or get to know them well. Albeit they were bad things, they couldn't all be bad people, right?

_You can say it, but that won't make it true._

"Please," she asked him. "Will you give me a chance?"

"No," Naruto responded almost instantly. "You're not coming."

In spite of his rejection, Sakura knew she would have her way. She would shadow them with an undying resolution. She would smirk all the while. She would win the war. She would be triumphant. "You can say it, but that won't make it true."


End file.
